Previous Page
An Account of the Divine Empress’ Subjects’ Activities during this Time of War
The First Week of the Month of the Dragon, year 1172
My Empress,
It is with enormous regret and shame that I must begin my report this week by informing you that a threat I previously reported as having been resolved appears to not have been resolved at all. The portal to Gaki-do that I spoke of was indeed closed thanks to the joined efforts of your loyal Great Clans, but it is my understanding now, based on personal correspondence from the Master of Air, Isawa Mitsuko, that the underlying cause of the portal has not been resolved. It is Mitsuko-sama’s belief that, until the matter has been dealt with properly, the portals will continue to occur. Although she did not address the cause of the occurrences in her letter, it is my personal (and, I freely admit, uneducated) belief that the cause of the portals is the disruption of the natural order of things, a disruption that is caused by the invasion of our blessed lands by the blasphemous and unnatural gaijin both in the north and the south.
Although the reason for this potentially calamitous occurrence is not yet known, I for one and tremendously grateful that the Empire has the Master of Air, who appears to have managed to predict these disasters and respond to them accordingly, even though the process as of yet appears to leave little time to formulate a proper response. In this instance, another of the accursed portals occurred, and the Phoenix detachment of inquisitors under Mitsuko-sama’s command were the only ones able to respond in a timely manner. Or rather I should say that they would have been the only ones able to respond, if not for the incredible response speed of the Shinjo Scouts and another unit that I understand is known as the Dark Wind. This cavalry force has appeared at numerous points during the past few months, most of which have been documented in my reports. They are enigmatic in origin, but appear to be affiliated with the Spider Clan. Despite this, they also appear to be acting in the best interests of the Empire in opposing numerous threats. This is a quandary that I do not know how to resolve, and fortunately is one that is not for such as me to do so; I am enormously content to allow your divine wisdom to determine how to deal with such issues, and to follow your commands in that regard.
My herald reports that the fight against the swarms of gaki issuing forth from the portal went poorly at first, perhaps because the advantages of cavalry are less effective against spirits of such a sinister nature. Ultimately I do not know, and it matters very little in the grand scheme of things. Two things mark this particular incident as truly amazing. What I am told is that, at the final moments of the assault, when it appeared that the defenders would be overrun and the spirits would run unchecked across the Empire it is difficult for me to recount this story an oni appeared. The beast was enormous and incredibly powerful, wielding a gigantic weapon as long as three men. The beast did not attack the defenders, however, but instead turned upon the gaki and began slaughtering them in vast numbers. The Shinjo faltered slightly, uncertain what to make of the situation, but the Dark Wind continued their assault unabated, and the Phoenix never wavered in the completion of the ritual necessary to seal the portal. My herald reports that the process was more difficult than the previous occurrence, however, perhaps because of the losses that the inquisitors have suffered over the course of the conflict. She confessed that she feared the ritual might not be completed successfully, but then something vastly more incredible than the appearance of a demon took place. My herald reports that a fiery bird from the Heavens, perhaps a fuchitsujo or their more worldly counterparts the houhou, appeared and flew across the battlefield, weaving among the combatants to fly directly into the mortal. The fiery explosion that followed appeared to hasten the portal’s closure, but such a report could, I must admit, merely be conjecture. Regardless, the portal was closed, and upon its closure the oni disappeared as quickly as it had arrived, perhaps anticipating that the Phoenix would turn upon it. There was a shouting confrontation between Mitsuko-sama and the commander of the Dark Wind, a man named Yuudai, but ultimately there was no way to know if the Spider had summoned the demon or not. The Shinjo argued successfully for the Spider to be permitted to withdraw due to their assistance in closing the portal, to which the Phoenix ultimately agreed.
One of the rare forested regions near the Lion holdings, a forest north of the Lion border but before the Dragonfly lands were entered, was threatened by wildfire. It is most likely that the fire was started by advance units from the Army of Fire, as the Yobanjin have proven time and time again that a vast northern border such as ours nearly impossible to secure completely. However, it is also entirely possible that natural phenomenon created the fire, a lightning strike or some such other instance. Regardless, the threat posed by such a thing is significant indeed, for fields ravaged by fire at this time of year will not recover in time to produce adequate food for your loyal subjects during this time of war. One of your Empress’ Guards, elite warriors one and all, half of whom have been dispatched throughout the Empire to protect its people in an incredible show of bravery and selflessness on your part, Empress, recognized the threat not only to the Lion lands, but potentially to the Crane and Dragon lands as well. Kakita Idzuki was personally responsible for securing the assistance of the Storm Riders, recently returned from the Mantis Islands, and with their prowess over the weather, the matter was dealt with quickly and without tremendous difficulty. It seems a minor incident in retrospect, but truthfully it could have been a terrible blight upon the Empire.
Terrible news from the Scorpion lands, my Empress. It seems that a small faction from within the clan, primarily those from rural provinces and lesser families lines typically relegated to obscurity, had begun suggesting that the vast outbreaks of plague were either engineered by the Scorpion leaders or fabricated outright, all in an effort to maintain absolute control over the clan’s populace and manipulate their support into activities that defied your most holy will. It is difficult not to be outraged by such unfounded allegations, even as an outsider, but I know that they were born not of malice but of fear and confusion. I hope that those responsible fare better in the next life, and learn from their terrible mistakes. Regardless, a herald traveling through the Scorpion lands at the time, bound for the southern front, was witness to some of the preamble to the confrontation, and it seems that the Shadow Blades that so recently assisted in the quarantine of an infected village with the Unicorn Clan returned to deal with the matter. My herald was not witness to anything in particular, but the clear implication was that the Blades eliminated the heads of the movement and anyone directly involved in anything that might be considered disloyalty, which of course the Scorpion consider the greatest of all sins. They were not particularly pleased to have an Imperial present during this minor incident that I am quite sure would otherwise have been recorded in no historical document, but for now the matter is concluded and with minimal aftereffects. We shall see if anything further comes of it in the future.
There is one final matter that I feel merits your attention at this time, my Empress. I have received a disturbing report of troop movement through the Mountains of Regret, north of the ruined city of Otosan Uchi. This in and of itself is no significant matter, of course, since that is a prominent travel route and in this time of war it is a common thing to see such movement. It is the nature of the journey itself that has given me pause, and something concerning the report has piqued my interest in a manner that I cannot easily dismiss. It seems that a joint force of the Hiruma Stalkers, the Justicars of the Dragon, and the Ikoma Wardens were moving through the region, toward the northern or southern fronts I am not certain, and encountered a detachment of the Legion of Two Thousand within the mountain range. Again, this is not an enormously significant event, as the Legion is granted somewhat liberal travel rights during times of conflict. However, it seems that the Legion detachment was under assault by the mountains themselves, or so the report seems to indicate. The assembled forces of the clans came to the Legion’s defense, and after a brief but terrifyingly intense assault, the attack ended abruptly. There was no clear indication of what was responsible for the attack, and the Legion was reluctant to discuss the matter despite the insistence of the officers among the clan forces. My herald sought the counsel of a shugenja attached to the Crab forces, who told them that he had never felt Earth magic of such incredible potency, and that the attack appeared to have been perpetrated by a single individual. The herald inquired after the Dark Oracles, but the Kuni felt certain it was a threat more mundane in nature, although perhaps not tremendously less powerful. I fear we have not heard the last of this as yet unnamed threat.
As ever, I remain your humble servant.
Miya Shoin
Imperial Herald
